


Comfort

by AussieGal20



Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: F/M, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-06-26
Updated: 2013-06-26
Packaged: 2017-12-16 06:17:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,558
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/858819
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AussieGal20/pseuds/AussieGal20
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After an incident with an Unsub, Emily Prentiss has all these unwanted feelings. Derek Morgan comes to the rescue.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Comfort

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own the characters, I just play around with them.
> 
> Hey guys. I had this idea floating around in my head for a while now, and I really wanted to get it on paper. It a shot story - especially considering how long some of my other stories are, but this story is sweet fluff between my favourite pairing on the show - Emily and Derek.  
> I hope you all enjoy is as much as I enjoyed writing it.

**Comfort**

* * *

 

The team had just finished a particularly grueling case, where the unsub, John Barker, a psychopathic narcissist, had overpowered Emily and held her at gunpoint. The rest of the team surrounded the psychopath and the profiler, all guns trained on Barker. The team could see their strong, defiant Emily Prentiss in Barker’s arms, but that was the exact opposite to how Emily had felt. However, Emily was capable of putting on a brave face, especially when her team - her family, surrounded her. Everything panned out well in the end, the only loss being that of Barker.

The team was currently packing everything away at local police station, after having brought Emily back from the hospital where she was treated for minor injuries - some bruising and a laceration to her forearm and cheek.

“Well. We’ve had a long three days. Why don’t we rest tonight and leave tomorrow,” Hotch proposed to the team.

Everyone agreed enthusiastically and made their way out to the black government issued SUVs saying goodbye to the local police they had met as they left. When they all arrived back at the hotel, both Hotch and JJ had to stay in and finish off the paperwork for the case, Reid was dying for a rematch of chess with Rossi, after having Rossi beat him in two consecutive games on the plane, and Morgan wanted to go down to the hotel bar and relax while he could.

“You want to join me princess?” He asked Emily with a grin. Derek knew how Emily was when she got tipsy and she was a blast, the pair got on just as well as when they were sober – with the exception being their lack of filters, which ramped up the flirtatious bantering.

“Nah, I’m kind of beat, I think I’ll head up to my room and have a shower,” Emily replied.

“You sure?” Morgan asked.

“Positive. Have fun though,” Emily smiled and made her way upstairs.

She did not however, have a shower, instead she opened the mini bar fridge and put all the alcoholic beverages on the coffee table. Emily knew exactly why she was planning to drink herself into oblivion, but she didn’t want to admit it to herself.

By 11:30, she had consumed the entire contents of the bar fridge and was flicking through the television channels in a daze.

Morgan had sensed at the hospital the Emily was slightly off, not herself. He pinned it down to exhaustion, and that was why he let Emily go so easily. Still, he wanted to check on her, make sure she was all right.

After downing a couple of beers ands chatting to a few ladies, he made his way up to Emily’s hotel room and knocked on the door.

At first, there was no answer, but when he knocked a second time, he heard scuffling and the sound of something dropping to the ground.

“Go away,” Emily called from inside, her speech slurred.

“Emily it’s me Derek, can I come in?” Derek enquired.

“No. Go away Derek,” Emily responded.

“Emily, please let me in.”

“No.”

“Please, I just want to talk.”  
“Derek I have a gun, and if you don’t leave me alone, I’ll use it,” Emily’s slurred voice threatened from behind the door.

Of course, Derek knew she wouldn’t, but he didn’t want to push her, that could only lead to disaster.

“All right Em, I’m going, I’ll see you in the morning,” Derek resigned and went to his own room.

Derek received no answer, only because Emily had already passed out, draped over the bed, still fully clothed.

 

* * *

 

The next morning, an hour and twenty minutes before everyone was due to be on the plane, Morgan was up and ready to go. He had a nagging feeling about Emily, so to put himself at ease, he walked to her room and knocked.

“Morning Prentiss,” he said. He heard a groan from inside. A minute later, a bedraggled looking Emily opened the door. She squinted as light filled the dark room.

“Can I come in?” Derek asked her.

“Is there anything I can say that will stop you?” Emily countered.

“Touché.”

They both sat down at the small dining table, and that was when Morgan got a good look at Emily. Emily’s hair was a tangled mess of knots, her face was puffy and her eyes were sunken back and bloodshot. Morgan stood up and filled a glass with water. Emily accepted it thankfully and chugged it down in one go.

“Do you want to talk about last night?” Morgan enquired.

“No,” Emily said firmly.

“You sure?”

“Yes.”

“Prentiss, are you sure you’re okay?” Derek asked her concern evident on his face.

“I’m fine,” Emily replied in a monotone. Almost like a rehearsed answer. But of course it was, Prentiss was not the sort of person to seek out support and comfort. She was independent, insistent on handling things herself.

“No, you’re not fine. I have never seen you consume this much alcohol in one go,” Derek insisted.

“You don’t know how much I drank,” Emily argued weakly.

“Prentiss, the empty bottles are all on the coffee table,” Derek pointed out.

“Oh crap,” she said.

“Please, Emily. Maybe talking will help,” Derek, tried to convince her.

“No, I’m fine, there’s nothing to talk about,” Emily continued to insist.

“Prentiss,” Derek said in a there-is-definitely-something-going-on-so-don’t-lie-to-me tone of voice.

“Oh God,” Emily said suddenly.

“What? What’s wrong?” Derek said, immediately panicking.

“Oh God,” Emily repeats. She stood up quickly and ran to the bathroom.

Morgan, confused as to what was happening, followed her instantly. Morgan walked in to find Agent Emily Prentiss hunched over the toilet, throwing up anything and everything that was in her stomach. Morgan stepped forward immediately and held her hair back for her. He had done this before, not for Emily, but for a few witnesses in interrogation when they find out that their spouse, partner, child, parent has murdered or raped someone. Sometimes that information is just too hard to handle.

“Go away Morgan,” Emily moaned in between retches.

“No.”

“Please go away?” she begged.

“No.” Morgan insisted.

Eventually, Emily stood up slowly, weakly and leaned over the sink to rinse her mouth and brush her teeth. Morgan stepped outside the room waiting for her to finish. He hated to see her like this. Something eating at her so much that she tried to drink it away.

When Emily finished brushing her teeth, she leant against the wall weakly, barely holding herself up. She slid down the wall, into a sitting position, closing her eyes. She couldn’t believe she had let herself be seen in this state, by Morgan especially. Morgan walked in then, to see her curled on the floor, and the image ripped at his heart. He hated seeing Emily like this, just as she hated being seen in this state. Morgan sat down next to her slowly.

“Prentiss please talk to me,” Derek said. He knew that she needed to let whatever was bothering out of her before it ate her up anymore.

Emily however, stayed silent.

“Please,” Derek begged, his voice longing for her to talk.

“I– I” Emily began after a few seconds. “When Barker held that gun to my head, I panicked,” Emily said slowly.

“So? Prentiss, that is nothing to be ashamed of.”

“No, Morgan, you don’t understand. I was scared, terrified,”  
 Emily finally admitted, out loud, as well as to herself.

“Everyone is allowed to get scared, it’s human nature. It happens,” Derek told her.

“Not to me it doesn’t. I can always compartmentalise. When I was in Italy with Ian Doyle, alone, I never felt scared, or worried,” Emily said.

She looked up at Morgan, tears welling in her eyes. “I felt so weak, and I hated it,” Emily said angrily, a tear spilling over onto her cheek.

“Shhh,” Derek tried to comfort her. Never had he seen her so affected by something the entire time he had known her.

The two sat like that for a long while, Emily’s head resting gently on the nook of Derek’s neck as she sobbed, Derek’s arms wrapped around her securely, and one arm stroking the back of her head.

“I’ve always prided myself on my ability to not let stuff like this get to me, to compartmentalise, and to let you see me like this,” Emily confessed, trailing off.

“Don’t worry, I’ll tell no one,” Morgan vowed, smiling at her.

“Good,” Emily said wiping some semi-dried tears from her face. “Because I don’t think my ego could take anymore. It’s been bruised enough from this alone,” Emily said.

“Your secret’s safe with me,” Derek promised.

“But I’m sure you don’t care anyway. Derek Morgan to the rescue again,” she said slyly.

“Don’t worry, I’ve been a hero plenty of times, I can let this one slide,” Morgan joked.

“Good, now get out, I want a shower,” Emily said, heaving herself up to a stand.

“Alright, but we have to be on the plane in thirty minutes, Derek reminded Emily.

“Alright,” Emily said smiling. “And Derek, thank you. For everything. You’re a good friend,” Emily said, and she meant it.

Derek could feel how much saying that meant to her, and he felt truly honoured that she wholeheartedly trusted her like this.

“Anytime Prentiss, Anytime.”


End file.
